Greetings,

I'm in the process of writing an article focusing on the subtleties of a first-time slackware migration. Specifically, my intended audience consists of technically literate people who would like to familiarize themselves with the Linux environment, and will document a slackware installation and configuration, along with compilation of a custom kernel.

The goal isn't so much to write a tutorial, or "how-to", but to provide details into the inner workings of a linux installation. That is to say, although common problems will be touched upon, the focus shall be on what actually happens during the installation and configuration process, interesting (ie. challenging, but not too common) problems that give the user insight into how Slackware (and, collectively, Linux) operates, and an installation method that provides the most complete linux education possible - where the goal is not so much to provide an efficient process as it is to provide a learning experience.

To that end, I'm looking for suggestions, ideas, and, most important, interesting problems you've encountered in installing or configuring Slackware.

To qualify as 'interesting', the following should apply:

- The problem is not too common.
- The problem is unique to Linux/Slackware distro's
- It would be nice if the problem was reproducable accross different hardware
- The problem is a problem, not a bug.
- The solution leads to a better understanding of Linux / Slack

Insight as to what you feel to be the most educational part of the slackware installation/configuration process is also welcome.


Regards,

Vmt1

First, try my website at www.cwwilson721.dyndns.org
It has some of the trials and tribulations of installing Slackware Linux on a laptop, along with some config files and links. I'll be going into more detail as time allows, or if I feel like it.

Problems that I've run into:

1. Compiling for my specific hardware. You would figure that since I have a laptop, and hence my hardware does not change, that the compile process would be fairly easy. But it isn't always the case. Sound chip, video chip,Bios limitations, and the bloody PCMCIA slot always throws a wrench into the works.
2. xorg.conf and my video chipset and Alps pointing device. I have to tweak/workaround the xorgconfig basic setup everytime to set things like video ram, dual monitor, and getting the freaking scroll to work. I have it down to an almost routine now, with specific workarounds for all, except my video chip (i830m) will not use DRI no matter what (Seems to be more of a Gateway BIOS flub than anything)
3. Wireless Networking and the infamous Prism 3 chip on my wireless PCMCIA card. Tried various things/programs to make it effortless, but still always comes down to compiling wlan-ng against whatever kernel I'm using at the moment, then config the conf files, then reconfig the conf files, then re-REconfig the conf files. The bad part is that it's the SAME STUPID AP. Do I ever get it right the first time? No. But you gotta do what you gotta do.
4. Playing WMV files. Needs another codec
5. Drivers for my printer/scanner. Doesn't exist...I can print. Sometimes. But I have no idea if the scanner even works. Sigh.
6. My built-in modem. Forget it. I can either have sound, or the modem. Thank goodness I have cable internet access, or I'd never hear a peep.
7. Talking about cable internet, the driver for the 'modem' itself blows. I'm better off hooking up my ethernet network/router.
8. Speaking of drivers...I suspect that most of the users out there never hook up to a gigabit network. So why is it selected as 'y' in the kernel by default? Not to mention the other 50 thousand drivers in every other section. I actually, as a test, took a 'clean' kernel compile, didn't change anything, and installed it. Took over 5 hours. Then, when that little farce was over, Lilo said the kernel was too big...Go figure
9. Doesn't KDE look at the new kernels as they come out?The only way you can enable ACPI thru KDE is to use a deprecated option in the kernel.....

Well, enough on the subject for now. Trying to compile 2.6.15....Why?
Because, no matter what else.....
I love the freedom to do as I want with linux/gnu
Just my two cents.....

Something going more into laptops would be helpful to others, as the documentation is rather lacking in what you need to do/ can do to get improved battery performance, CPU throttling, etc. (e.g. a 2.6 kernel with laptop-mode-tools, cpufreqd, graphics chip throttling, etc plus mouse drivers for touchpads)

That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about. I do have a general guide at www.cwwilson721.dyndns.org , but the problem with laptops is that you can ONLY talk about the exact model you have. Sure, some things are cross-hardware, and others cross-platform, but 95% is for just that particular model/distro. I'm planning on getting into alot more detail about my Slackware/linux walk down the yellow brick road, but since I start back at work tomorrow for a major hardware manufacturer that does not do linux, I have to force my brain back into Windows mode..
Yep...I do hardware support for Dell....Stop laughing. Now. Fine, I'll transfer you to a country where you won't understand their version of english.....

ROFLMAO

Some months ago, as cwwilson721 did, I had to compile a 2.6.x kernel in order to get working most hardware of my HP pavilion zv5200 laptop, including support for 64-bit processor, cpufreq, fans and temp sensors and added ndiswrapper to get the wireless networking... I had to tweak deep the xorg.conf file to get the 1280x800 monitor to display properly everything, and to make both mice (an USB and the touchpad) work.

Actually the system is far different from the default installation; indeed it was worth not to drop Slackware, but to investigate and fight for it

You gotta fight...

For your right.....

To use Slackware !!!!

(Mucho apologies to the Beastie Boys, but I couldn't resist)

[QUOTE=cwwilson721]First, try my website at www.cwwilson721.dyndns.org
It has some of the trials and tribulations of installing Slackware Linux on a laptop, along with some config files and links. I'll be going into more detail as time allows, or if I feel like it.

Interesting site - those kind of problems are close to what I'm looking for.

Seeing as I installed slack on a workstation, I'm not too familiar with the types of problems encountered by laptop users. Are the problems you encountered specific to Dell laptops, or representative of the general type of problems encountered when installing / compiling on any laptop?

Regards,

Vmt1

It's not a Dell, it's a Gateway.

But in a general sense, most laptops released at about the same time in the same class will have similar problems (Here's a secret: the hardware is the same....lol)

Laptops, as a general rule of thumb, use chipsets/workarounds that the desktops don't. An example is my video, a built-in i830m, which was used in a variety of laptops at the time. It was a cheap, easy to integrate chip that Intel included with their chipset suites. On a desktop, you can always (90% of the time) switch to a different board. Obviously, on a laptop, you're stuck with what it came with.

So, are my trials and tribulations typical? The short answer: Maybe. I wanted to push this laptop to be the best it could be. I ran XP Pro on it for a long time, but wanted to do more than what I could do with the hardware I have and the HUGE performance whack from XP, without spending money for more memory, etc. Plus, with my kids having their own XP computers on the network, I was formatting/reloading the laptop every 1-2 months because of the virus/spyware that would get on my system.

So, now what? Am I going to change things? Of course. I know very few people outside of an IT department, who don't tweak/fiddle with their configurations. (IT usually doesn't, because if it works, let it work). More. Faster. And of course, the 'Look at what I did with this!' factor. Let's face it. We're proud of what we can accomplish with this OS/Distro. We tweak it, break it, and fix it on a daily basis BECAUSE WE CAN.

Most of the things I have done/will do SHOULD be applicable to most hardware setups. Laptops, desktops, servers, gadgets, the same general rules can apply. If you see a problem, and identify what is actually going on, there is usually a resolution to it. GNU/Linux gives us that opportunity.

Now. Back to the original subject: Installing/using Slackware and the problems you can run into.

The "stock install" of Slackware will get you a fine running system, same as a mini-van will give you a fine running car. Do you need the 15 cupholders and the built-in baby seats? Maybe. That's up to you. Do you want a F40 instead? You can do that too. But it takes alot of work. Do you want something inbetween? Slackware can do it.

The "problems" come into play when you start playing with individual hardware components. Video card, audio card, networking cards, wireless devices, USB devices, printers, scanners, PC Cards, SCSI or SATA harddrives, and RAID configurations. That is when the 'standard' setup starts to show its shortcomings. The good news? Most of these have been confronted before by other users. The bad news? Some of these 'solutions' will not work on your system because of previous 'tweaks' or, more commonly ( especially for/from newbies), because of the solution is for a different distribution, so the programs and locations cited will not be applicable to your specific issue.

Common issues with getting Slackware at least up and running? I would have to say Xorg. That is when you tend to find out that your cutting edge video card, wireless card, or sound card is not working, or if it is, not correctly. So off you go on Google, or this board, and and find a solution that you can use. Then, you try to follow it, and you don't understand a freaking word they are talking about. grep this, chmod that...

So that leads us to issue two: It IS a different language. The only way to figure it out is to read. And read. And try. I'll bet most people out there have fried their OS beyond any hope of salvage at least once. So? Start over. Just remember not to do that again. (Kinda the same way I raise my kids: Wow, that was dumb. Hm. Don't do it again)

Well, getting late/early...Even a computer geek needs to sleep sometime.

vmt- If you need to get ahold of me, you can email me at yahoo with the same username. Just let me know it's you or you go to the iggy list

Morning all

I have found the same - initially, I had a lot of trouble setting linux up on my workstation because of the 'newness' factor. To that end, my intended audience would be the kind of person to whom a portable slack installation (ie. on a lap top) would be the most valuable.

Thank you for your contact info - I'll email you within the next few days with a rough guideline of what I'm writing.

Many thanks,

Vmt1

Ah....then it gets interesting.

What are they going to use it for? E-mail and word documents (And of course, "Recipes")?
Or gaming? Or as a portable server (like mine)?

See what I mean? The decision matrix on it starts there, then it gets to hardware.....

Not trying to get you down, it's just the scope of what you're trying to do is stupendous

Actually, the usage part is fairly straight forward. Like you mentioned, it's going to be the hardware part, and that's what I'm trying to focus on.

Regards,

Vmt